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Monster's Ball Customer Reviews (52 - 54 of 85 Reviews)

Great Performances by Barry and Thornton
This movie tackles some very controversial topics. It centers around two main characters. The first is Hank Grotowski, played by Billy Bob Thornton. Hank is a death row corrections officer at the prison. The second character is Liticia Musgrove, played by Halle Barry. Leticia's husband, played by Sean Combs, is scheduled to die and Hank helps conduct the execution. After the execution, both Liticia and Hank lose their children to tragic deaths; Hank's son by suicide and Liticia's son by a hit-and-run driver. Hank actually sees Liticia and her son along the road after the accident and he takes them to the hospitsl, but it was too late. Afterwards, an unlikely bond forms between Hank and Liticia.

Several controversial topics are brought to life in this movie. Racism is evident throughout. Hank's father is a hard-core racist and he makes it known to anyone he sees, including Liticia. Hank tries to distance himself from his father after meeting and ultimately falling in love with Liticia.

The death penalty is also shown in the movie. Liticia's husband is executed in the electric chair, which is hardly used as a method of capital punishment anymore. The hardships on the family after the execution are shown, as well as their methods of coping. Liticia's son dealt with the loss of his father by eating large amounts of candy, while Liticia drank and was evicted from their home.

Finally, the relationship between Liticia, a black woman, and Hank, an older white man, was dealt with. I think the forming of the relationship was done pretty well throughout the movie.

This was a good film overall. I think viewers will enjoy it.

Thornton, not Berry, steals the show!
First things first, sorry, Berry's was NOT the best performance in this film. Far from it. Thornton steals the show as the multi-faceted racist corrections officer. In fact, I was thinking as I watched the movie that I certainly hoped it wasn't this performance that earned Berry an Oscar. Then I saw on the box that is was. Mercy, what was the Academy thinking on that choice? I thought her performance was unnatural and contrived, and not aided by the fact that her stunning beauty belied her otherwise down and out status (I'm only willing to suspend disbelief to a certain point).

As for the film itself, it grabs you from the beginning and doesn't let go. The mood it establishes, supported by an excellent musical score, almost hypnotizes you. I was disappointed by the ending, however. It seemed abrupt and gave me a feeling of incompleteness concerning the film. The fact that there wasn't much dialogue to uncover the characters along the way only added to this feeling (I felt like I was only starting to get to know these people and then . . . the credits roll). But, again, it was the mood, not the dialogue, that makes this movie work.

Surprisingly Good
It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but a well-deserved oscar was awarded to Halle Berry for her performance in this film. I'll have to admit she was not the only one deserving. This is one of the few movies I've seen where the entire cast, including the extras, made brilliant performances. It was both refreshing and impressive to see Peter Boyle break away from his loveable Grandfather figure in "Everybody Loves Raymond" to play a cold-hearted, unrelenting bigot who had no regard for male weakness in any form, especially in his family.

Billy Bob Thornton was briliiant as always. Heath Ledger did well. Puff Daddy was surprisingly good, but I'll say I was most impressed by the performance by Mos Def. His easy laid-back Southern demeanor made for such natural acting. He made it look so easy. I enjoyed this performance much more than his role in the remake of the Italian Job with Mark Wahlberg.

Of course, who could pass up a review on "Monster's Ball" without mentioning the passionately raw sex scene. I'll have to admit it's one of the best I've seen on screen. Is this the reason why this DVD is currently out of stock? Basic Instinct seems like a half-baked choreagraph compared to this one single scene. It was raw and powerfully engaging. You could feel the inner tensions being released as the two chracters hungrily sought each other.

Many felt that Halle Berry had sold herself to the dark side doing this movie. I felt she has actually stepped up a level in her acting career. She has stretched her acting muscles on someting quite outside of her character. Luckily she had both a good script and director to enhance that skill. I believe that for an actor to be truly successful, you have to break away from your typical mold and engage in roles that you are not normally used to without having to be overly eccentric or weird. This type of formula is typically a money maker in Hollywood and highly stereotypical, but it doesn't really contribute to engaging character development which is where the real power of films comes from. Well, done Halle. You broke the mold.

This is definitely not a movie for children under the age of 18. The violence and sex is quite explicit. Nonetheless, a good film.

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